


Operation: Blood Diamond

by Thepresidentofrussia23



Series: The Diamond Series [1]
Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Cobra Kai (Web Series) RPF, Karate Kid (Movies), Karate Kid (Movies) RPF
Genre: Anger, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Canon Gay Relationship, Car Accidents, Depression, Everyone Is Gay, Gay Male Character, Grief/Mourning, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Men Crying, Night Terrors, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Revenge, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Sobbing, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Violence, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-12 10:29:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19130194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thepresidentofrussia23/pseuds/Thepresidentofrussia23
Summary: Karate students across the country are showing up dead at their respective dojos or in front of their Sensei's homes with blood stained diamonds in their hands. Enter a man by the name of Nathaniel LaRusso-Lawrence, a FBI agent who is a distant relative to Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. He will soon need their help to stop the cult of serial killers trying to send a message, a absolutely terrifying message not only to the Karate world, but to the entire world as a whole.





	1. A Gloomy Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gia233](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gia233/gifts), [Hetsez](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hetsez/gifts).



The rain was pouring and drenching everything, washing all in sight, giving the dimly lit street and apartment complex a clean and washed look. The surfaces appeared polished and pure and the air smelled clean. But there was a body of a young man in a black and yellow gi, his body pock marked with stab wounds and dents from being beaten, there were so many bruises all over the body, it was nearly unidentifiable except for the hair....  
RING RING RING....BANG BANG BANG!  
Johnny Lawrence groaned and got up for the day as the rain kept drizzling, he already had a bad feeling when the knocking grew louder and more insistent. He then got himself dressed and cursed "Whoever you are, you had better not be Sid of all people." He grabbed his button up shirt and put it over his T-Shirt, giving him a classic look and he opened his door to see a policeman standing right in front of him and a man who appeared to be the coroner standing over a body bag and that made the Sensei take a step back in shock, his heart was pulsating with fear. What had happened last night as he had been blackout drunk from the celebrations? He was suspicious, there possibly was a murder, but the Officer in front of him cleared his throat and said "I'm officer Langsworth from the L.A department and this is the L.A county coroner Dr. Rashid, we are here to investigate a murder that had happened approximately around 3:45 A.M involving a victim who is a male around the age of seventeen, he is Caucasian, and is approximately..." Everything after that clicked into place...It was Eli 'Hawk' Moskowitz. He was the dead victim and was left for dead, barely alive, gasping for air, it was a slow and painful death that Eli suffered, and what was mystifying was that he was found with a fistful of diamonds, all 24 karat and they were stained with his blood, Johnny felt like passing out, he was drunk while his own student lay dead at his own fucking doorstep? Who the hell even does that? He wasn't even worthy of being called Sensei, not when he failed to protect his own fellow Cobra. The officer told him that Eli's parents were being notified, but he knew he had to go deliver his condolences. His day was so about to get worse, much, much worse than he could think it could ever go. Lawrence suddenly found himself crying in the shower as he scrubbed himself down and made himself presentable and wore his black suit that he reserved for court dates and funerals. He hated attending his own mother's funeral, but attending a kid's funeral, who was in their prime? That was much, much worse that attending a funeral for an aged grandmother, this was a freaking seventeen year old who had a big future to see, a world to explore, heck someone to marry, but it was all gone, just like that, it was all gone in a snap of a finger, Eli was dead forever, there was no way he would ever come back or ever be able to make a crappy remark or show off his tattoo or celebrate like he had won the Superbowl, there was no way he would ever see Eli open his eyes or call him 'lip' or insult him ever again. He was anxious but he went over to their house, it felt like entering a concrete tomb, like he was going to be smothered by their grief, he could taste it in the air as his breaths clouded in front of his lips. He carefully knocked on the door and Eli's mom, Martha opened the door carefully and he saw an incredible amount of grief on her. The aura of pain was crushing hin and she let him in, Johnny only began "I'm so sorry about your loss. Eli was an amazing young man with a promising future." The words seemed mechanical, but he truly saw a bright future for the deceased young man. Antonin, on the other hand was sobbing, completely inconsolable, his eyes were so red and puffy and his cheeks were pink from the tears and he was dressed in black, all black, like there was this endless sorrow that drenched the graying man and Lawrence's heart gave out to this heartbroken couple. He didn't understand why they had to go through so much pain and sorrow. They were no longer parents, their son was dead...He was led to their sons room and that was what broke him, seeing the Cobra Kai posters and the Olympic posters and so many posters and the pain and hurt was crushing him. He could feel tears trickle down his face when Martha let in Demiteri who was in complete denial and was blubbering "It's not real...It can't be real, Hawk is too tough for this!" And he too began to sob his apologies. The entire day was dedicated towards helping keeping the parents company and trying to heal their hurt and making sure they ate and drank something as they would need energy to keep going, this was so going to be a difficult time. And it was at a time when the young students were supposed to celebrate. Soon he was led to the coroner's office and he was shown diagrams of the injuries, there were many to the abdomen and to the heart, but the most savage stabbing was the attempted beheading...it was utter savagery that made serial killers like Gacy and Bundy seem cutesy in comarpsion, and not to mention the amount of broken bones and the sexual assault Eli went through...OH GOD...No...no...Lawrence ran to the trash can and vomited at the last part...that disgusted him. How they treated his body like trash and left him there to rot just like that, like he was absolutely nothing. And Eli Hawk was NOT nothing, Eli would be avenged, Eli would get the justice he deserved. And the rain kept on pouring on. Daniel LaRusso normally didn't do much watching of t.v but when he saw the recent murder in Reseda, it broke his heart to see his town dissolve into chaos and violence and the fact that he saw Hawks name on the screen shocked him, who could have done this and how? There had to be someone with enough skill to do this. This was absolutely terrifying. He wanted his kids to stay home and never go out. He wanted his kids to be safe...but how?


	2. A Painful Farewell

Funerals are the absolute worst at celebrating the life of someone who lived and died. But here I am...standing in front of the mirror, adjusting my black tie at the insistence of LaRusso, we normally hate each other, dog each other, fight like cats and dogs but when the time comes, we stand in solidarity and we fight back. And I sure as hell need his imposing pillar of strength to get through this day becuase I might start crying again. Last night, I couldn't sleep at all, the beer cans that lay empty across from me didn't help the gulit either, when I did fall asleep, I saw Eli as a young child, and suddenly he transformed into his seventeen year old self, dressed in a pure white suit, staring at me with accusing, haunted, empty, hollow eyes. His cheeks seemed so hollow...he grabbed me by the shoulders and asked "SENSEI! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME? I ASKED YOU TO SAVE ME! I BEGGED FOR YOU! I SCREAMED FOR YOU!" And suddenly the scene melted and I was standing in a abandoned warehouse where a mysterious figure kept stabbing him as he screamed "SENSEI HELP ME, I NEED HELP!" As the life slowly drained out of him and his thrashing limbs gave up their fight, the light in his eyes died out, flickered away, gone forever...I could never bring him back and it was all my fault. The figure grabbed a bat and started beating the body over and over into a bloody, mushy pulp and suddenly...a bright light burned through my vision and I could hear Daniel telling me to get up and that's when I realized I was fucking cuddling him, his chest was soaked wet with my tears and gulit, and yet, he didn't seem to say a word or even have a disgusted look on his face, he just seemed as equally as heartbroken as I was. He poked and prodded me to get ready, eat, shave and shower and get my clothes pressed and wear them as well. I felt like a zombie just following orders and I was completely obedient as he gave me some water and some headache pills and I got into my car and Daniel sat next to me and I drove to the funeral home where the service would be conducted. The funeral was huge, many people came, including his Russian relatives and friends and even his bullies who hated him in life, begrudgingly were here to give him respect in death. When I entered the room, time seemed to freeze still, my heart was hammering and my skin was sticky with sweat, my throat had a lump in it and I was rooted to the spot. The coffin lid was open and I suddenly wanted to pass out. Daniel was the only guy here making sure I didn't go berserk and ramble about crazy shit. I slowly walked towards the coffin and placed his gi inside with him and bowed. I managed to rein in my emotions but my voice was begging to differ. I muttered "Cobra Kai never die. You never die." I kept repeating this like a mantra, like I had gone cuckoo, like I finally had lost it, like I had snapped and all semblance of sanity was gone. I could hear Daniel saying something but I couldn't hear, not over the roaring noise in my ears. The roaring noise was so overwhelming and it threatened to drown me and engulf me completely. All I could see was that Eli had a serene expression on his face. The ugly gashes were concealed and gone, the massive beheading attempt was concealed as well, his bruises were gone, now if only he COULD FUCKING WAKE UPP! I felt a sense of hate towards this murderer that I would never be able to control, I would destroy them without a single thought of mercy, I would destroy them slowly and painfully for what they had done, the soul that they extinguished from this plane of existence could never be replaced, I could feel that I was crying so much that everyone was concerned about me. All the Cobra Kai even came, even little Bert, sweet, joyous Bert came. I didn't want him to come, he was too young, too innocent to see this raw, human, painful moment, and yet he was here, dressed in black and his glasses were off becuase he had been sobbing and Miguel was no better, they all were weeping, this was not a game, there was nothing to be gained from this except pain, fear and death. I wished I could take them back to the dojo and shield them all from this reality, but it couldn't be done.   
.................................................  
Music blared in my car as I drove to Reseda, my boss had said "Nathaniel, you are to investigate a murder that is in connection with the murders in multiple states, you got that?" I of course replied "Yes, boss." I then grabbed the shit I needed including my Sig Sauer, my FBI badge, all the evidence collection kits in the world and my laptop, and my clothes and I was off from Quantico, Virgina. The first thing I had an impression for was in Reseda, California was the goddamn heat, oh I have worked in Alabama and Georgia and I have been shot there many times but God, this was so not awesome. I officially hate myself for volunteering to crack a cold case. I grabbed my things and checked into my hotel room under my name "Nathaniel Andrews LaRusso-Lawrence" Don't ask why my name is that long, it just is, also, my nickname is Nate, like Nate the great from the comics that I read as a kid. Now here, I had to get started on investigating the murder of some karate student, there had been a spate of these murders of many karate students, many had been LGBT and the increase in the deaths lately meant that there was another one ready to strike, these people were clearly not to be messed with, not when they were fucking putting handfuls of diamonds in their victims hands and sexually assaulting their bodies. Their bodies ranged from being whole or being mutilated to the point beyond recognition, some were never recovered and those students were presumed dead. I had to try and dig up leads and fast before the trail went cold. But first, I had to call a few relatives here, but little did I know, I had three more relatives that I would eventually find out about.


	3. Broken glass slashes through my wrists, thank god

I hauled my shit into my room, ready to crash when my partner came into the hotel room next to me and he joked about sex all night long and I groaned. Jeff Holden liked to make me as uncomfortable as possible, I wonder if he knew I was Bisexual and God, he had the cutest green eyes and brown hair, Jeff was a heavy set man with the bulid of a security guard but he could out pace me in the pacer test and the speed dash test and I was more lithe framed at around a 6'9. Jeff loved Nascar and Atari games and Ninetndo, but we usually never had time to hang out thanks to the cases taking our time and swallowing it whole, lives were at stake and all we had was some bullshit half assed profile made by a psychologist who probably spent half of their entire life behind a computer. I then cracked open the case folder for the recent murder that the L.A.P.D had kicked over to us since this was a suspected foul play death with connections to our case. The body was clearly shown no respect and was a crime that was planned to the nth degree. We were dealing with someone with above average intelligence, had a above average income, had a body with a size that was above average. It didn't surprise me about that, what surprised me was the gall to leave the body at the scene, many serial killers including Bundy, the Ice Man Killer, Dahmer and so many others removed their victims remains from the scene and tried to clean up the scene to conceal their tracks. Files lay scattered as Jeff lit his cigar and I groaned and cursed his smoking habit to hell and back, I hated smoking so much, it just disgusted me to no end that anybody could smoke. I had an M.D in forensic pathology for fucks sake. I then opened the window and prayed that I wouldn't get the second hand smoke as I did paperwork. Ya gotta admit the vast majority of why we can't get cases done is becuase of paperwork, paperwork is an unnecessary burden that each and every SFA agent in the FBI has to deal with on a daily basis. They even warned me when I was 25 that most of my time would be spent doing paperwork, I yawned and slipped on my gold framed glasses becuase my eyes get a bit blurry if I strain them for long periods of time and my habits of reading Science before bedtime didn't help at all with my weakening eyes. Tomorrow would consist of investigating the scene which was taped off still and people were cordoned away from the apartment door. I then checked my phone for any texts so far and my phone said we had another victim, this time, it was a fifteen year old named Samantha LaRusso. I told Jeff "Yo, put out that death stick, we have another scene to look at, cops think the killer struck again." I grabbed my camera, my evidence kit, my notebook and laptop and tablet. I slipped them all into my backpack and then I grabbed my rental and drove the car to the scene which was near her house apparently. This was a more affluent area and I could see that this was a gated community, even the guard tried to have a hard time with us, but once we showed our badges, he was as quiet as a mouse and let us in. A hysterical screaming woman who was clinging onto a man who looked like her husband who wad clearly in distress were being led away, a young boy in his early teens was sobbing as well, there was some clear relationship between him and the deceased, the man came over and said "What's going on, they aren't telling me anything? I don't understand." I did my best to console him and I said "I'll do my best to garner answers but I can't guarantee I will." The crying woman and man were led away but the boy kept lingering near the shrouded body, he was portly shaped, like he had been stuffed with too many junk food eating sessions and not enough gym classes. I told Jeff to lead away the boy and he jogged away to use his "Fatherly magic" to try and assure him that things were being taken care of. As soon as the boy was lead away, I lifted the white shroud and I could see many of her injuries and Eli Moskowitz's injuries were strikingly similar, like the killer had slipped up, used the same method, there were cords and ropes tying her wrists and ankles up and she was clearly raped, her clothing was torn off and there were was so much bleeding and tearing, there were ligature Marks as well and I found many blunt force and sharp force injuries, but to determine her final cause of death, I would need to conduct a autopsy with the permission of Dr. Rashid who also was there and he cut an imposing figure above me, he was a fucking coroner and always was the best at everything but admitting he was wrong, he constantly traded barbs with me but I always had a inkling he liked me in a less than professional manner and that was a huge problem, in medicine you can't do that, it is considered unethical. Dr. Rashid was dressed in a black suit like he was the fucking undertaker and I was dressed in what I just drove in over, like that one random blond guy wearing a tshirt under a unbuttoned dress shirt and I could see a sense of grief in his eyes, I wonder if they were somehow related, the victim and him. There was no way a random straggler would just stand there and do nothing. Most take the opportunity to take pictures or try to harass us and pose as reporters. Dr. Rashid pried open the clenched fist and found loose 24k diamonds and I had to admit, this was beyond my scope of understanding, why put diamonds in your victims hands? Was there a hitman hired? Was there a cartel that the DEA didn't know exist? In that case, I had to call over Joseph Lawrence a DEA agent who was dealing with cartels here and he was also my second cousin and a cool guy but insisted on listening to techno and meeting up at bars for meetings. And he had a complete obsession for anything loud, engines, music, explosions. Soon the body was taken away and I had another folder's worth of evidence to sort through, what the hell was going on? This was not the normal behavior of a serial killer at all. Joseph Lawrence on the other hand said that many cartels including Los Zetas used beheading and dismembering of bodies as a method of intimidation and to keep control, it was dirty and time consuming but was cost effective in so many ways than one. He also mentioned that if the person was someone that they were in contact with, the victim is more likely to die if they said no to the gang or ratted them out, but based off of Samantha's profile, I didnt see her turning to drugs, even a drugs check in the houses of both victims turned up nothing. I was baffled, why would the cartel contact these two? They had it all going well for them, they didn't need the cartel money or protection...how could this be gang related, I felt there was something even more sinister at play here, something even more complex than I ever thought that could explain why they were killed the way they were killed.


	4. Broken, Fragmented dreams pierce my soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a medical examiner in IRL so please don't hate on me. I am merely a biology student in a community college trying to transfer to a four year university

The alarm again woke me up and I gathered my shit and put on my suit and lab coat and clipped on my badge and my gun. I took a look at myself at the bathroom mirror, I examined my graying and whitening blond hair, I was 35 and I looked like I was 50. This was the stress of the FBI agency weighing heavily on me physically, I had bags under my eyes from days of missed sleep due to stress from death threats, medical school exams, people's lives being at stake, losing countless friends due to deaths and the grief of my parents dying when I was so young. I had many memories of them and it really stabbed me within, knowing I could never make more of those memories. They were never there for the day I swore the Hippocratic oath and recived my first lab coat, freshly pressed and pure white, white as my soul and a representation of my naivety of the world, my parents never were there during the time when I swore the oath of the FBI agent. They were dead since I was 15, I had bounced around shelters and foster parents, but I always kept my anatomy book that my parents gave me for my fourteenth birthday, by my side and I always read the pages and engrossed myself in the workings of the human body, it was what fascinated me, how the human was not a single entity but a series of systems, forming a single functional system. I loved how the body was a harmonious orchestra, always doing it's best to work in tandem with its environment. My dim brown and blue eyes glanced back at me and I sighed and I shaved my face of any stubble, then I gelled my hair and combed it down and then Jeff hollered and banged on my door and demanded when I would stop jacking off to playboy and get going. The L.A Coroner's office was a hour and a half of a drive becuase of rush hour traffic. I grabbed the transit and I turned on the laptop and when we stopped at Clearwater Avenue and Johnson Street, I saw a blonde man who was wearing his black gi, he had a cobra kai logo on it and what was strange was that I FUCKING SAW HIM AT THE MURDER SCENE OF SAMANTHA LARUSSO!!! I sidled over, pretending to do my paperwork, my heart was pounding, what if he was armed? What if he was one of the killers? Could it be him? Killers sometimes returned to the scene to gauge the impact and see the thrill in nearly getting caught. My breath was caught in my throat, the bus was now on the highway, stuck in traffic and I merely started with "Nice weather we have." The man ignored me and I did the same before the blonde replied "What do you want now? The L.A.P.D have been questioning me for hours, I have no more information." I was quite stunned...how the hell did he decipher me like that? I was truly afraid for my life, he had muscles that rippled down his arms and he had a strong set jaw and wasn't too bad looking, in fact, he was quite handsome. I still had a rapid heartbeat, was it from me in fear or in love with that man? I had no idea. I merely shrugged my shoulders and said "I'm Dr. Nathaniel, forensic pathologist and FBI agent, aspiring to be coroner as well." I might have blushed like hell and God, he knew it when he smirked. I handed him my business card when his eyes widened and he said carefully, like he had practiced these words in front of a mirror "Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso; we need to talk as soon as we reach L.A. about your last name...I want answers. I feel like someone, perhaps that bastard Sid has been hiding me from you..." I didn't know who was Sid. The way he spat out that man's name like he was spitting out poison, indicated to me that he had some history behind his relationship with Sid. The bus was cool and comfortable and I decided to chat with him saying "Uhh...I like...dead bodies...its a nice but mentally difficult profession, and then top that with being a field agent, you have a toxic mix of stressors." He seemed a bit unimpressed but he looked like he wanted to fucking strangle me, I was scared of that too. I don't understand why does he hate me. And can people stop trying to kill me for five days straight? I mean, two days ago in Quantico, I was nearly shot at by some crazed maniac that claimed he was God, and four days earlier than that, I was kidnapped in Miami, Florida and gagged and bound. I was nearly shot as agents began to break in the bulding to save me. That day the perp set the bulding on fire, burning himself alive and forcing the agents and SWAT to flee. I only managed to escape becuase I burned the rope and ran as I tore off my gag. About an hour and a half later, I was at the Coroner's office and yet the blonde guy followed me and it creeped me so I said "At least fucking introduce yourself before you arson me alive, asshole." He looked incredulous and offended, I honestly sucked at social skills other than delivering condolences and comforting the bereaved, I always knew the right thing to say then cause I always practiced a inner monologue in my head. The man said "I'm Johnny Lawrence, dumbass. Don't you recognize me from the tournament?" I was just annoyed and I snapped "Look, I don't live in L.A, much less California or any state near it at all, I live in Quantico, Virginia, where the only sports that are even remotely mentioned is college football. As for you talking to me, it has to wait. I have a coroner named Dr. Rashid to meet and he hates waiting more than necessary and I hate to keep others waiting." Lawrence responded "Thanks for the business card...I'll keep in touch with you. Just don't turn into one of them corpses" and he humorlessly laughed, I noticed tears glittering in his eyes and I pitied him. Was he truly concerned about me? I wasn't really sure. I then entered the office and Dr. Rashid went straight down to business, his cheeks were flushed and pink from standing the mourge refrigerator with countless draped bodies around him and we began analyzing the evidence more carefully as the time went on, we found similar methods of injury and circumstances of death, but what stuck out to me was the B.A.C level in their veins was through the roof, the B.A.C level for Mr. Moskowitz was at 1.36 and the B.A.C for Ms. LaRusso was .96 and they were drugged heavily, this was insane...the amount of drugs alone would have killed them, there was no way they would have survived the amount of drinks they had, but Dr. Rashid insisted that the alcohol had nothing to do with their deaths, it was the amount of physical trauma that their bodies went through that finished them off. I marked their folders with a red marker indicating "INVESTIGATE FOR FOUL PLAY." I yawned and stretched and Dr. Rashid said "I'll take us to a nice place for dinner. You must come please, Moroccans are very hospitable, I would like to continue that tradition." He still was very pink even when we were in the office and I accepted. Tonight was a dinner date and I was excited. I met him at Sterling's restaurant and it was a well to do restaurant that was frequented by the many who were ultra elite and wealthy. We both ate sea food while I ordered some wine, Dr. Rashid adamantly refused saying it was against his religion to drink, so I drank by myself, we chatted about our lives and soon I found out his first name: his name was Zahir Khan Rashid and golly it was a cute name. I was damned if I couldn't get his number before I left California. The rest of the night was a blur, I remember Johnny leading me onto the bus and taking me to his apartment room and lay me down on his bed, he wiped off a part of my mouth and then sealed it away. After that, I closed my eyes and slept, I was tired and so drowsy, even Jeff was lauging at me for being so drunk.


	5. Finding countless connections

Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso opened his eyes and he sat up, the wave of pain overwhelmed him initially and his vision spun and blurred. He slowly blinked and wiped the crustiness from his lips and eyes and then he walked into the bathroom and yawned and washed his face and yawned and got ready for the day. His back and knees slightly ached from sleeping on Johnny Lawrence's couch and he saw Lawrence cooking breakfast. Lawrence began "You were drunk last night...but we still need to talk, it is important." Dr. Nathaniel didn't want to talk, he hated talking unless his job mandated it to do so. He hated talking because it was draining on him, it was draining on his mind and it was draining on his soul. Dr. Nathan looked down and he blinked very slowly before saying "What do we need to even talk about, I don't even remember what we were supposed to talk about?" Johnny looked at Dr. Nathaniel as if he was a baboon with two heads and then the Karate master snapped "Don't play dumb, you KNOW what I need answers for. I need answers as to why you are a LaRusso-Lawrence, its too much of a coincidence and you can't tell me otherwise. How the hell are you related to my rival and to me at the same time, it can't be possible, I am not even related to him by marriage much less by blood!" He roared out the last part in fury as though he had some sot of history, a bad blood with that man and Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso glanced at him and said "Dude, you sound like you want to fucking kill him, what did he ever do wrong to you? What the hell is his name?" Lawrence bitterly spat "His name is Daniel LaRusso, which explains the second half of your pansy ass name which is such a mouthful." The forensic oncologist looked offended before replying "You do realize that my middle name is McMurray right?" Lawrence groaned and spat out "What is it with you people and long ass names? Why can't you name your kids with shorter names?" Dr. Nathaniel merely shrugged his shoulders and said "I honestly don't even know, My parents named me that when I was born obiously, but my mom always said she gave me the middle name 'McMurray' to honor our grandfather who died in Vietnam." Lawrence seemed to be a tiny bit quieter by that before quickly adding "Well clearly they should have removed the name Nathaniel." At this point, the doctor merely smiled and shook his head and then said "Well, Does this mean I am...related to you too?" Johnny had never thought of it this way at all, he never thought that in his entire life, he would be related to a forensic pathologist and that he was shocked that he was related to a LaRusso...but what was done was done, there was no way he could put the genie back in that bottle, heck he hadn't slept with Daniel...but he stilled at the sobering thought that this could be incest. But all Johnny could think of was the soft lips of LaRusso and how they roughly kissed and slept with each other and their soft heartbeats mingling with each other. He hated this thought, but they needed to talk, to communicate with each other. The doctor and the sensei bothe got up and they both rode the bus to the dojo where the doctor kept analyzing ledgers and dockets and folders and crime scene photos and Jeff was serious, too serious for the doctor's liking. Jeff loved cracking jokes about crimes in general, it was what helped him cope with being a forensic photographer and a forensic evidence collector. Both doctor and photographer hated how their jobs had to exist in the first place, they wanted a day and a world where crime would come to an end and the field of forensics would no longer exist one day. That dream was a mere delusion, no such thing would ever happen, ever. The doctor felt his head and his eye balls were hurting like hell, he put on his eyeglasses and dripped some eye drops and blinked. Dr. Nathaniel's eyes suffered from severe eye strain issues caused by a faulty gene, compounded with the stress and exhaustion and constantly examining detailed autopsy reports. He yawned and grabbed his med stuff and went to the Coroner's office with Jeff and Lawrence. They saw LaRusso with his head in his hands in the brightly lit, sterile hall, he was wearing a green and blue ribbon and tears were trickling down his face, he was holding his daughter's phone which he never dared to unlock, not even now. None of that mattered to the bereaved father, he didn't want this cellphone! HE WANTED SAMANTHA BACK! He kept sobbing and sobbing, Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso tended not to interact with families of victims for that reason, he hated connecting to their families and he hated giving more empathy than necessary, it was just emotionally draining on him as a human being. He always tried to give them all the condolences he could, but there was not always everything he could do to help them heal and that often broke him in the end. Dr. LaRusso-Lawrence hated parties, anything to do with socializing, while boys his age were kissing girls and reading porn, he was busy reading techniques of autopsies and the stages of autopsies, he always was fascinated with dead bodies, it was like he said "The dead are the only ones who respect me, and they only do that out of fear." He sighed deeply as Johnny tentatively approached the mourning man who's eyes were puffy and red and his cheeks were swollen and Daniel leaned on him as if Lawrence were the only thing that was anchoring him to reality. And at that moment, they held hands to try and stay stable in these dark waves of grief. About an hour later, all four were in the LaRusso's temporary residence, a large home, much larger than the one that was taped up as a crime scene and they all sat, but Daniel barely ate, Amanda was drunk and asleep in her room and Anthony wasn't on his device, he seemed bowed, defeated, broken. Dr. LaRusso-Lawrence pitied that young boy, going through such a loss at a young age was not easy, he wished he had the right words, but he always screwed up, so he preferred to be clinical and detached from his work at all costs, even if it meant that his coworkers hated his guts till the end of time. They ate and drank, but it was a mute and dampened enviorment, there were no more laughs to be shared or jokes to be cracked, even Lucille didn't dare argue, her son was too soul shattered to be the peacemaker anymore. Lawrence told both of the LaRussos about Dr. Nathan and how they all were related to him and they were quite stunned, there was no way this was possible, and yet, all the signs were there. Even the DNA that Lawrence secretly stole off of the sleeping doctor proved their relation to them and there was no denial. There was no more hiding, they were fifth cousins, three times removed. Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso bowed gently before picking up his med kit and ran out of the house sobbing, he had a family, he had relatives here and they didn't care AT ALL! THEY FUCKING DIDN'T CARE WHEN HE LOST HIS PARENTS!!! Tears were streaking down his face, his eyes felt extremely dry as well so he removed his glasses again and dried the lenses and dripped more eye drops into his eyes and blinked once, then twice and then took a deep breath and realized he was in a different world, the forest here was more calmer and quieter and he sat down, this was what it was like to be in a calm forest...a beautiful pure place, he hoped it would stay this way forever. Daniel finally caught up to the Dr. who was merely sitting cross legged, with his eyes closed and tears streaming down his face, the auto dealer dared not to disturb the hurting man before him. Johnny also caught up but also did the same, he knew when someone wanted to be left alone and that poor doctor had so much to process mentally and emotionally before he would be willing or ready to trust Lucille LaRusso again. They both knew their familes had fucked up so badly, how dare their familes abandon this man when he needed them during his time of need? And now, there was no need for any of their assistance at all, he was wealthy, successful, his career was in a upward trajectory and he was going to become a coroner with his hard work alone.


	6. Chaos and Order shall shed their blood

I breathed in and out, in and out. Trying to calm the fuck down and not lash out at my new found family. Family. What a strange word when the family I had for my life when I was up until fifteen is gone forever, my parents were everything to me and when they died, it felt as though the darkness and sorrow would never end. The depression did threaten to drown me at some points in my life but I stayed strong, the only thing that kept me going was the dream of being a forensic pathologist. I opened my eyes and I felt calmness and peace, was this what I had needed? Was a bit of alone time what I needed? I wasn't sure, I turned around and I saw my two...cousins I shall say? It felt so strange and so different, being so convinced that I was alone when I was young and now, as an adult, I had them now, they were my friends, my family, I slowly stepped towards them and hugged them both tightly, there were no words needed, no words were needed to express the delight and happiness I had in my heart, I wanted this moment to last forever, I suddenly realized that we all were crying...all of us. No matter what, this family would stay strong and never break apart, I swore to myself that I would keep them two together, even if it meant my life had to be given up. I then said "Let's go back inside, I'm sure Lucille is losing her mind right about now..." Inside, I saw her bow her head and she broke the tense silence by saying "I am so sorry, I didn't know you existed...I am sorry I abandoned you, I am sorry for what I did, I know that my apologies will never be enough for your suffering but please forgive me. Please." I had no energy in my life to hold grudges, I had no time to hold in anger or hate or resentment. I was thirty five for God's sake, and not to mention the amount of work that went into being a coroner was amazing, I hoped I could become a coroner and focus on the real exciting stuff, I was interested in becoming a coroner since I was in high school, that was the interesting part of my life when I was young. I simply said "Family forgives one another." And Lucille hugged and cried in my shoulder as Daniel rubbed her shoulder in a gesture of comfort, it actually felt so good to be supported like this, it reminded me of the times when my parents used to do the same until they both passed. But here I am, with two former rivals who were now family and that was what made me feel so good deep inside. Even Lucille looked at me carefully, me in my casual clothes of a hoodie, khakis and lab coat on, she said "You look like both of us, a LaRusso and a Lawrence, its amazing, really, both of our blood is in you..." I just modestly looked aside, I felt awkward with comments, both good and bad, I honestly learned to brush them off and stay humble, I honestly hated being complimented at all. I didn't understand what was so special about me. I looked down shyly and said "Eh...I just think its all about the personality is all." I toyed with my stethoscope and placed my hands in my pockets, I honestly preferred dead bodies for this reason, I liked my job as a physician and a forensic pathologist. I could see a purple aura around her...aura? Just how the fuck could I see her purple glow? I must be hallucinating right? I of course was secretly terrified of this new ability, what the hell was wrong with my eyes now? I and Johnny went in the bus and Johnny stood near the exit door and gripped the pole and I sat down next to a random person, the bus was stuffed with people, Johnny recognized the man I was sitting next to and growled "Kreese...of all people." I could see his aura turn a crimson red mixed with yellow and the Kreese guy I was sitting next to, his aura was a dark, inky blue. I wondered if he felt guilty about something and suddenly, I could feel waves of guilt from his life, he had been in Vietnam, served like McMurray and survived the war, he regretted many things, I could feel his pain from being unable to save Mr. Moskowitz, the regret of being unable to save Ms. LaRusso. He had many ghosts and demons and my vision was swimming with flashbacks and I was feeling nauseated already, but Kreese and Lawrence started to argue and yell, which distracted the driver at the critical moment and a big sixteen wheeler smashed into Lawrence's side of the bus and everything was in slow motion, everything was chaotic, glass, objects, bodies, flew everywhere, screams penetrated the ringing in my ears. Kreese lay on his side with a gash on his forehead, his arm was twisted the wrong way and he was crying out in pain. I quickly scanned around, some were screaming and awake, I had to focus on the ones who were quietened and needed immediate assistance. I called for an ambulance and bandaged up the driver who was unconscious, an elderly lady who was bleeding left and right, I managed to patch her up, a man who was wheelchair bound, had his legs crushed and was barely awake. I shouted for headboards as the bus was tipped on its side and I could hear sirens burning through whatever was left of my hearing. My side was beginning to hurt a lot, I yanked down red levers to release the windows and I unlocked the hatches from the roof, I searched for Johnny, everybody else was being rescued our treated, but I couldn't find him yet, I called out his name over and over and yet I couldn't find him. I was terrified, had he been crushed under the bus? I climbed out and saw him lying face down twenty yards away and he was in the worse shape I had seen for accident victims. I rolled him onto his back carefully onto a back board and pulled out my stethoscope and listened to his heartbeat, his heartbeat was getting weaker and when I checked his blood pressure, it was through the roof, there was a pole sticking through his left knee and there were gashes and scrapes everywhere, but the worst was the head injury and I was terrified of the heavy implications of that injury. I barked orders left and right and ordered around medics and doctors and they listened to me, I liked the rush but it was exhausting, like a sprint, sprinting is very adrenaline rush like activity but is exhausting. I needed to take a deep breath, search for oxygen, anything, this had been a long day and I wanted it over soon. The medics and police officers were clamoring about the shattered, broken bus, which lay like a dying beast, washed over with the red, blue and white lights of countless emergency vehicles, nobody had died yet from what I could tell as of yet, so that was a win. A paramedic by the name of Dutch Anderson, a blonde man shouted for me to lay down on the stretcher and I was confused, what was he doing, he began to poke and prod me, a logical part of my brain was trying to say that he was performing concussion tests on me and I couldn't even remember what day it was, much less where I was, I vomited into the emesis bag and closed my eyes and let myself sink into the bliss of darkness.


	7. The young man sheds his skin again.

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I was busy poring over ten years worth of medical school textbooks, trying to study to qualify for an exam that would allow me into the pharmacology sciences area, the words are often complex and I have to ask professors and dictionaries what they mean, the internet isn't very reliable at explaining many autoimmune conditions and I want to be able to become a pharmacist someday, its a long, financially draining road, but it is a very rewarding career. My mom knocked on my door and said "Miguel...we need to talk..." My heart froze into place when she said that, it was terrifying to hear her tone of voice so...matter-of-fact about whatever she was going to say. She took a deep breath and said "Your sensei Johnny Lawrence has been involved in a bus crash that was Eastbound from L.A. his injuries are very serious and he is in grave condition, he has a pole that went through his left knee, they are trying to save him." Tears flooded my eyes, I could only imagine sensei, alone and unconscious, bleeding and barely breathing in the bus, with nobody to help him, I could picture the sirens and the screams of agony that probably shattered the silence. I didn't know I was crying until mama held me tightly against her chest and rubbed the back of my head and said "We can visit tomorrow Mijo, after my shift is over, we will go there, I promise my Mijo." All I could do was helplessly sob and whimper...how the hell did this happen? I rode the bus all the time and I always was safe, but there had to have been a reason behind this, more likely, this was possibly no accident. I cried so much that my mom wiped my tears and guided me through the Lord's Prayer in Spanish, but it offered me no comfort, I was scared for him, I wanted him to get better and soon. I could only imagine that he was even lucky to survive the pole going through his knee in the first place, was he awake and screaming for pain meds? Or was he unconscious and barely aware of what was even going on in the first place? What was he feeling at the moment of the crash? Was he angry, Sad? Upset? Hurt? These and many more questions ran through my mind as mom left me to sleep in my room, but I couldn't sleep, not when my sensei's life was in danger, he was fighting for his life. He always convinced me that pain didn't exist in the dojo, but this was no dojo, this was the real world and the real world didn't obey what Sensei Lawrence wanted sometimes. The next day after classes, mom and I met up at the Kaiser Foundation hospital, a middle aged, greyed looking man who somewhat resembled Sensei Lawrence gravely nodded before saying "I wish it was under better circumstances that I had met you both...I'm Dr. Nathaniel McMurray Lawrence-LaRusso." He seemed shy and quiet, he awkwardly offered his hand and mom and I shook his hand, he was quite fidgety, like he didn't know how to deal with people or socialize with them, he was dignified and regal despite his awkwardness, it was strange to see him in his scrubs, bandages, stiches and a blood stained lab coat. He was quite a man all right, he looked like someone who had never heard of the word 'Sleep' much less experienced the concept at all. He had very thick glasses that made my pop pop's glasses seem thin in comparison and he took a deep breath before saying "My cousin is in serious condition, his tibia and fibula and his kneecap and he has a cracked skull near his jaw." He took another deep breath before continuing "He may have a TBI, your mom will probably understand, but what it stands for is Traumatic Brain Injury, also he has a broken back, and several discs have been dislocated." Another pause, a sniffle, my mom was holding my hand, trying to lend me strength, I let the dam of tears break and I screamed "Oh sensei...my sensei...you're my papa to me...please don't die." And that was when the doctor just looked down, he looked pale and frightened of my mom, he looked frightened of everything and he said "The doctors are good, I promise, I demanded only the finest surgeons, doctors, osteologists and more, only the finest are working...I promise you this Mr. Diaz" His eyes held an intense gaze that contained decades of pain and sorrow and hurt within, they were a broken look, his eyes were mismatching colors and yet they held a soul within them, a damaged soul. He took in another breath, mom encouraged him to keep talking, and Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso continued "I'll see what I can do to get you to visit him." And the man limped off and I kept crying, I hated Sensei Kreese, I suspected that he had caused the crash, the fact that I had heard from my boyfriend Robby that Kreese had started the argument which caused the driver to be distracted in order to defuse the situation, I hated that evil bastard, he corrupted my friend Hawk and now Hawk was gone, I cried for Hawk who lay in a coffin, sleeping peacefully, free of pain and sorrow for all of eternity in a grave, six feet under, I was terrified of seeing Sensei Lawrence, sleeping, never waking up, released from his torment and in a grave next to Hawk, gone forever, never to be seen again. I wiped my tears, and the Dr. was back and he said "I managed to squeeze in fifteen minutes or else they would never hear from me again." I was confused, how could everyone obey him, like he was a leader, and yet he wasn't able to interact with same people? He then warned me "Just remember that machines in there are to help feed him, give him oxygen and make sure he is hydrated and alive." I already understood that, why would he want to tell me this now? Mama explained "Sometimes it is overwhelming to see who you care for on machines Miguel..." She held me closely and I savored her smell of anti biotics and we entered the room and god...the warning couldn't have been strong enough, all I could see was sensei, hooked onto countless wires and tubes and pipes and so many machines were beeping and keeping careful track of his brain activity, his heart rate, his blood pressure and his oxygen level, I thought I had cried out all my tears, I was wrong, I cried even harder and sobbed, I sat in the chair next to him, watching his chest rise and fall with each breath, I was afraid to touch him, he seemed so fragile...so thin, like touching him would break him. Mama reassured me that he wouldn't break, I could see so many bandages covering his forehead and they were blood soaked, I held his calloused hands in my own and I silently prayed. I prayed with all the faith I had in me. I poured out all my insecurities, my hopes and fears, I just hoped God was listening because He had Johnny's life in His hands and that frightened me the most.


	8. New leads, new wormholes

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I could only watch as the young man wept before me. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy from all the tears he shed and I was helpless to comfort him. I didn't know what to say to even make him feel better, I saw his mother smile gently and nod at me, I cleared my throat and said "I'll...I'll be taking my leave then." I then backed out of the room, truthfully I was never prepared to see my own flesh and blood in such a helpless state. At that moment, Jeff burst through the ICU doors earning him angry glares from doctors and nurses alike and I didn't blame them at all, this was supposed to be a quiet place, many patients needed their rest in order for them to heal, but it was hard for me not to get pissed off at Kreese, that idiot had the gall to start the argument in the fucking bus of all places. I couldn't remember who started the argument or why, my brain was still scrambled and yet I was running left and right to dig up new leads on my case and he brought me a new stack of folders, and he said breathlessly "The...The diamonds, their purchase, it can't be tracked at all..." That meant that these diamonds were illegal. I then brought him to an empty conference room and spread the folders and opened them one by one, these were all the murdered, all of them in front of me, this case was officially mine and mine alone, I was responsible for all fuck ups in the future and that terrified me. I took a deep breath and opened the first folder to a murdered young boy in Greenley, Wisconsin who had been a student of the Dragon Dojo and his body had been found near the entrance of the building seven days after his disappearance, his body was tied up and gagged, his index and thumb were missing and he had been raped multiple times and diamonds were found in his left hand, it was so strange. I told Jeff "The diamonds are most likely conflict diamonds, that is the only explanation I have for this amount of madness." Then I took a monocle device and zoomed in carefully, there seemed to be a clouding in the shape of a swan inside the diamond and my heart at that moment froze...Swan. Black Swan was a terror group still very unknown but struck terror in agents across the world, if I had known that this was the case, I would never have agreed to this or to the bet that got me this case in the first place. This case had been stone cold and now, it was roaring hot, like a furnace. I was analyzing pieces of evidence and reading so many notes and seeing so many photographs of the dead, it was so much work to do, but I needed to help crack this case once and for all. Lives were at stake, I had to protect Miguel and that young man that he held hands with, who was sweating and dripping in his gi and they were leaning on each other as if they were a couple, I honestly didn't mind a descendant of mine falling in love, he deserved all the love he could get. I tipped up my glasses and noticed that my cousin Daniel had arrived and he was ashen and tearful, like he was unable to form any words, I led him to the room and the sight of a severely injured Lawrence broke down all his walls and he finally spoke "I am divorcing Amanda...I can't live my life as someone who is straight when I am gay, I have been gay forever, I always tried to lie to myself thinking it was better that way, I tried my hardest to be normal and quiet, but ever since gay marriage was legalized, I wondered what if I had taken the chance, what if I had spent all these years with Johnny instead of Amanda, would we still be married?" I only listened to him ramble to himself about how he had made many mistakes, he looked like he was burdened with his own regrets and he sobbed "I miss Samantha...She was my first born daughter and she's gone, she's never coming home." And then he stood up with his full six foot four inches and gripped me by my shoulders and firmly spoke "You must do whatever it takes to bring her killers to justice, spare the killers nothing, show them no mercy for their destruction of my daughter, the Moskowitz's son, and countless other sons and daughters." His stony brown eyes had a coldness, a hardness to them that somewhat frightened me, but I was determined to do this at all costs for my family, his daughter was my sixth cousin and that made things personal, nobody messed with my family, not unless they wanted to pay the price and suffer devastating pain ten fold of what they gave us. I took a deep breath before saying the words that I would come to pay with my life with "I swear, I'll do whatever it takes, I'll bring justice for all of the families who have been wronged. I'll do it if its the last thing I can do." I held his hand and he took a deep breath and said "Avenge me, avenge our daughter, avenge our family." I solemnly nodded and I stood up and bowed before leaving. I then went to the station and started reporting everything and that led to more FBI agents being sent for to protect me as well as U.S Marshalls and things were ramping up rapidly, even CIA agents and DEA agents were coming in from across the country to assist me as well, this was the most attention I ever got in my entire life and I hated it so much.


	9. Stoking the flames will burn the stoker

I got up for the day, I then put my gun near my waist band, we had some business to deal with in Encino, there were credible threats against Topanga Karate Do and their star student David Stone. David Stone was apparently capable of acrobatic kicks and strikes and that made him a feared offensive weapon, but could he stand a chance against this cult of serial killers that were growing ever so powerful by the second? I wasn't sure but I needed to protect him and time was not on our side, Topanga Karate Do was a three hour drive and even with Stone, who agreed to stay home, I didn't feel safe enough to leave him at his own residence, Stone was in danger everywhere he would go. I took a deep breath and soon about a few hours later, we arrived at his home, it was quite ordinary, very peaceful but cramped in with dozens of other homes in the neighborhood. At that moment, my phone buzzed and when I read it, I suddenly realized why I had been sent here, he was a witness to a murder and had come forward to Mr. Moskowitz's murder, this blew a gaping hole in the case of Eli's murder and this would finally help me solve the other 27 murders that I had been assigned to as well. We led him into the car and we took him to the station, and he was in his Gi, we didn't care much about him changing at all. His safety was paramount to us as we needed answers and fast. Mr. Stone was calm and yet he had no expression on his face, he had no feeling to show whatsoever. I sat down in the chair, just as calm, cool and I glared at his stony brown eyes. He began "I was there, I saw it all as I left the nightclub, they kidnapped me and him...They had guns and were masked, they demanded everything we had on us, keys, wallets, money, even cell phones. They bound and gagged us both and hauled us into their car, I remember their license plate as well...They took us to the warehouse and debated about what this man Rook would want. They argued for what seemed like an hour before they started stabbing and beating on the man with the mohawk, I tried to scream for them to stop, but I was still gagged, I was bound up like crazy. The next thing I knew, they started tearing off his clothes and raping him, he was crying...he was crying and bleeding and soon, he died, but they wouldn't stop raping him and..." At this moment, tears were beginning to flood his eyes and I gave him a tissue box and he wiped eyes and continued "They left me behind...perhaps as a message, I have no idea, I lay there for at least an hour before the cops found me and untied me, they interviewed me at the hospital, I am glad that they have decided to take my words seriously These people must be stopped, they were talking about blowing up the Olympic Village in Moscow." At that moment, everything came full circle and explained the deaths and disappearances of the karate students. It was a preview of what was to happen in Russia, no matter, the Russians were tough and merciless, they wouldn't let this happen. They would defend the Motherland to their last dying breath. I then stood up and I then made phone calls all night long to put Stone in WITSEC and to contact my boss and update him on what was happening now that the case was in flames and ready to torch me alive. My heart was pounding but I was beginning to formulate a plan, but I needed the help of Miguel Diaz and this was going to burn me in the long run, but in order to save many lives, I am sure he would agree. I was thinking of getting Diaz qualified to the Olympics and I could pose a member of the media and I would be the one intercepting the attack and leading the raid with the permission of the Russians. I would skirt the rules of law in order to get revenge for Samantha LaRusso and countless other victims, even if it meant handing in my gun and badge in order to save more lives in the process. Narcotics and sex trafficked people were flowing in and chaos was running rampant because of Reseda's proximity to San Francisco and Los Angeles and Reno, as well as Las Vegas, Nevada and Phoenix, Arizona. This was a dangerous city and it was brimming with the worst kinds of scum including terror organizations, cartels, gangs and mafias. David continued "What about my younger brother Xander? Who will take care of him? They could go after him, they know my brother." My breath was caught in my throat, if I left Xander to fend for himself, he would certainly be next and he also was a karate student and had been defeated in the quarterfinals of the tournament, so he would have a great profile and a following everywhere he went. Soon the arrangements were made and the Stone brothers would be moved to an undisclosed location, with strong persuasion tactics being used on the younger Stone brother. My phone rang again and when I picked up, my dispatch told me to go get Jeff and intercept two men on their way to kill Robby Keene, my other fifth cousin, apparently who was the son of my fourth cousin Johnny and I dashed as fast as I could and turn on the sirens and sped as fast as I could because Robby was hiding for his life and screaming for help as gunshots were coming closer, I and Jeff pulled out our Sig Sauers and I pulled the young terrified man to safety as Jeff was sprayed with a semi-auto AR-16 rifle. I threw Robby behind a wall and fired seven rounds as Jeff fell down, I didn't have time to check on Jeff as the other two were hunting for Keene, I had to protect my family at all costs even if it meant that my cousins would have to bury me. I quickly fired two more rounds into a guy wearing all black, tactical armor, he was terrifying and he looked like a monster to behold. I had another guy to kill, so I picked up the AR and shot the other guy as well, his body was filled with holes and he was choking on his own blood, but I patched him up regardless and handcuffed him afterwards and put him on the stretcher. I ran towards Jeff and screamed for a stretcher as I called out for Keene, and he cautiously came out and I checked for Jeff's pulse...it wasn't there...IT WASN'T THERE! NO! NO NONO! I screamed and howled "JEFFERY THIS HAD BETTER BE A LAMEASS PRANK I SWEAR!" I watched helplessly as his body was placed in a black body bag, much like the body bag that Mr. Moskowitz and Ms. LaRusso were placed in. I fucking screamed like an animal, like a fucking demon for the best friend that helped me up when I broke my leg in the FBI academny, the one who wiped my tears and the one who retained my sanity after each body examined, I could feel rivers of tears streaming down my face and staining my lab coat, I could feel Mr. Keene holding my shoulder, but it didn't seem to give me any strength, All I could think of was the times when I and Jeff cracked jokes and shared beers and secrets. We laughed and booed the rival football teams and we cracked cases and we highfived each other, we sang in kareokes and hugged and spent nights calming each other down when the PTSD got awful, I never thought in my entire life I would lose my friend who celebrated graduation day with me when we got our diplomas, our Bachelor's degrees and our Master's degrees and he recommended me to join the FBI as I was pursuing my Doctorate as well, it all was coming down, all of it, my soul was breaking into millions of pieces and I couldn't pick them up again. I could feel my body shaking with grief and I wanted it to stop, it had to stop, I had a young man to look after and I was having a mental breakdown over losing my buddy from middle school, he was dead, and gone forever, never coming back, and his family would be sure to hate me forever. I could feel this sense of grief that I hadn't felt since I had lost my parents when I was fifteen and the pain and the sorrow would never end, it never would stop. It never gets better, despite the delusional hopes of humanity, it just never gets better, we keep convincing ourselves that things are getting better when they aren't. We keep lying to ourselves that there is hope, that things will get better, when they never do and when we are bitterly disappointed, we suddenly realize that we knew that this was a good idea to never trust ourselves, Dutch cast me a doleful look before sedating me and I slipped into a peaceful oblivion, free from the darkness that deluged my soul.


	10. Standing in the ashes of the actions I have made

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I opened my eyes, my head was pounding and everything was white and my body hurt...my knee especially hurt, as if it was going to explode and send me back into an oblivion, all I could think of was the pain. I could barely remember the argument or the crash, a doctor rushed over and said "Good morning Johnny Lawrence, it's so good to see you back. We were worried about you." The nurse removed my tube and I croaked out "How long have I been out?" The doctor coolly responded "You were unconscious at the accident, I would say, about a week." I was stunned, how the hell was it possible to be knocked out for this long? I managed to sit up and soon, to my disdain, neuro exams were conducted and they were exhausting as hell, I hated exams because I always put them off to the last minute, preferring to do karate and hiding from my step dad Sid, who was a bastard who still wouldn't fucking die, I hated him so much, I wanted him to rot in hell for all the shit he did to my mom and me and suddenly, I saw myself there, standing near the pole, gripping onto it as the bus turned left and right and leaning against the momentum, when Kreese met my eyes and I knew the message behind them. He wanted Cobra Kai to himself and destroy those kids, he wanted to turn them into monsters, killing machines, I regretted bringing back Cobra Kai. I wanted to teach them to stand up to the bullies that made their life hell and make them become better and strengthen their character and confidence, I didn't intend for Kreese to show up in my life just as I had gotten Cobra Kai reinstated, because some asshole named Terry Silver got the dojo banned during his time as Sensei because he tormented Daniel so much, I would get him for what he had done, I wanted to destroy him so much. The door opened and I saw the guy that had been writing the story of my life for the past thirty-eight years and yet, I didn't mind it at all anymore. Daniel smiled and we hugged and kissed, he filled me in on Robby surviving an attempted murder and I breathed in relief, knowing that my son had survived the murderers that had taken so many other lives, he told me that another person named David Stone had survived the murder that took Hawk's life and I wracked my brains, who was he? And suddenly, it clicked in my mind in a clear moment of epiphany, David Stone was related to Xander stone and that made things so much more complex than before, why did David survive and not Hawk? Why did they leave him behind? As a message? As a warning? I didn't know and I wasn't sure if I even wanted to know the answer, I probably knew the answer already and I hated the answer so much. He told me "Nathan is going through a really rough patch right now, he lost his friend and partner Jeff. Jeff was shot dead engaging the suspects." I couldn't even imagine what Nate was going through, he was a socially and emotionally awkward man who preferred to be alone with bodies than to interact with the living, he liked the quietness of such work and yet, he put himself on the line everyday, mentally, physically and emotionally in order to protect us all and he was probably cracking and breaking under all the stress that was overwhelming him already. He probably was screaming and crying, wondering what he did wrong to deserve this, I wished I could see him, to talk to him and to give him reassurance that he did nothing wrong, he did all he could during such a fluid situation and he did what he thought was right. I had to give him kudos, he was a badass man who stuck to his guts and knowledge, he never gave up even in the face of odds and I had to give it to him for his fortitude despite all he had gone through, but even the strongest of men and the strongest of wills will break under pressure, all it takes is the will of a single man to find that weakness. Every man has a weakness, every single one of them, if they say they don't have a weakness, don't listen to them, they are cowards and pussies, they wouldn't admit to it, but a man cares for those around him, whether it is his family or friends and when that is taken away from him, you break his entire being and reasoning to exist. I held his hand in mine, thanking whoever was up there, gave me the chance to survive, the accident knocked me out as soon as I flew out of the exit door windows as Kreese and Nate tumbled and screamed my name, both of them screamed for me as I tumbled out of the bus, I could remember that clearly but so many parts of the accident were a blur, I had to focus but it often caused me headaches so I decided to stop. Miguel came in next, hugging and sobbing mainly out of relief and happiness and I was glad that he was happy, he hugged me so tightly, my ribs were screaming out of mercy, but I didn't care, I let out a groan and rolled my eyes and asked "Did you keep the dojo running while I was gone?" He said "Yeah I made sure that lessons were continued in your and Sensei Kreese's absence as you both recovered, Sensei Kreese broke his arm and had a pretty nasty gash on his forehead from cutting himself up from the glass." Miguel trailed off and scratched the back of his head and added "Robby is scared and so am I. What the hell is going on? The accident and the murders don't feel like a coincidence at all, it feels so linked, it even explains why Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso asked me to enter in the competition to qualify to enter team USA to compete in the Olympics. I mean I am honored, but I feel like there is some sort of hidden agenda behind this." I realized that then, he was using my student as bait and it felt wrong, but at what cost would we have to pay to stop these killers? What cost would it take to save ourselves and feel safe again? In the dead of the night and in the howling winds we would go, to Russia it is, to save Reseda and to save ourselves.


End file.
